Converter with power management system for household users to manage power between different loads including their electric vehicle

ABSTRACT

An apparatus and method for managing power output of a converter has been provided by present disclosure having an electrical entry power sensor for measuring power drawn by an electrical entry of a household, a power drawn increase prediction module, a power budget controller managing power allocation to restrict a current level output by the power converter so as to prevent power drawn by the electrical entry from exceeding a predefined limit should the greatest probable jump in power drawn occur, a user interface allowing a user to request changes to said current level output by the power converter to charge an electric vehicle, wherein the power budget controller makes suggestions to said user to adjust said power drawn and has the user confirm said changes in order to reallocate said allocation according to said user&#39;s adjustments.

The present application claims priority from U.S. provisional patentapplication No. 62/820,659 filed on Mar. 19, 2019, incorporated hereinby reference.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The subject matter of the present application generally relates to thefield of power management systems and more specifically to powermanagement systems working with power converters such as EV chargers.

BACKGROUND

This section is intended to provide a background or context to theinvention that is recited in the claims. The description herein mayinclude concepts that could be pursued but are not necessarily ones thathave been previously conceived or pursued. Therefore, unless otherwiseindicated herein, what is described in this section is not prior art tothe description and claims in this application and is not admitted to beprior art by inclusion in this section.

As more and more people become interested in using renewable andenvironmentally friendly energy resources use of solar panels, electriccars become more popular. Such technologies in most cases need to beconnected to and work with the power grid or the home electrical wiring.Furthermore, in regions with variable electricity tariffs for differenttimes of the day, using an electric vehicle and/or solar energy may bemore attractive for consumers if they could manage their consumption andproduction of energy to benefit from energy tariffs that are cheaper.

Solar panels or photovoltaic (hereinafter “PV”) systems have specificadvantages as an energy source causing no pollution and no emissionswhich, generally, generate DC power. In order to use this energy withhousehold equipment's an inverter is normally used. Inverter is a typeof electrical converter which converts the variable direct current (DC)output of a photovoltaic (PV) solar panel into a utility frequencyalternating current (AC) that can be fed into a commercial electricalgrid or used by a local, off-grid electrical network. There are severaltypes of inverters used with solar panels such as stand-alone inverters,grid-tie inverters, battery backup inverters, and Intelligent hybridinverters.

Since the electricity generation from solar panels fluctuates and maynot be easily synchronized with a load's electricity consumption, whenthere is no solar electricity production, it is necessary to storeenergy for later use for example in a battery or other storage system tomanage energy storage and consumption with an intelligent hybrid (smartgrid) inverter.

Furthermore, electric cars (“EV”s), are becoming more and more popular.The new “level 3” charging systems, such as the charger disclosed by theapplicant in the international PCT patent application having serialnumber PCT/CA2018/051291 published on Apr. 18, 2019 as WO2019/071359,are capable of providing in addition to AC power, DC power for homecharging units. It must be mentioned that despite producing DC power, PVpanel outputs cannot be directly fed to an EV vehicle to charge itsbattery.

With level 2 power consumption, the probability that vehicle's chargingwill cause the residential electrical entry or main circuit panel todraw more than its allowed power budget (and thus cause the main breakerto trip with the result that the panel is disconnected from thedistribution transformer) is quite low. However, when a load greaterthan 7 kW is added to most domestic electrical panels, and for aduration of a number of hours, the risk increases that the total powerbudget of the domestic electric panel will be exceeded. Likewise, usinga number of AC units or other high usage electrical appliances mayintroduce high load to the household's electrical budget.

Therefore, there exist a need for an energy management system whichallows users to manage their energy consumption, including chargingtheir electric vehicles, based on their priorities without overloadingtheir home's electrical network and going over the budget define for thehousehold.

On the other hand, despite the fact that battery of the EVs and solarpanels are good sources of energy, it is currently difficult to use themto reduce the power load and/or benefit from lower possible energytariffs.

Therefore, there also exist a need for a power management system capableof managing power between different loads and sources to minimizehousehold energy expenditure and/or help the power grid as required.

SUMMARY

This patent application provides complementary improvements that may beapplied separately or in combination.

One improvement relates to a power converter such as a bidirectional EVbattery charger that provides suggestions to a user to adjust a powerlevel provided by the charger to one or more EVs and/or other loads toavoid exceeding the nominal budget of the electrical entry if thegreatest probable jump in consumption happens. Therefore, according tothis, a time-based prediction of non-charging load power consumption,the greatest probable jump, may be based on modeling and/or historicalmonitoring of non-charging load power consumption.

In one broad aspect, the present disclosure provides a power conversionapparatus comprising an AC port, at least one DC port, a powerconverter, an electrical entry power sensor for measuring power drawn byan electrical entry of a household, a power drawn increase predictionmodule having an input for receiving a value of the power drawn and anoutput providing a value of a greatest probable jump in power drawn atthe electrical entry, a power budget controller managing powerallocation to restrict the current level output by the power converterso as to prevent power drawn by the electrical entry from exceeding apredefined limit should the greatest probable jump in power drawn occur,a user interface allowing a user to request changes to the current leveloutput by the power converter. The power budget controller makessuggestions to the user to adjust the power drawn and has the userconfirms the changes in order to reallocate the allocation according tothe user's adjustments.

The entry of a household herein may refer to any electrical power feedconnected to one or more power loads and or sources. For example, itwould englobe a local network having a local generator, battery or anyother source connected to some power loads such as the converter whenworking as a charger.

In some embodiments, the conversion apparatus further includes anoptional sheddable load switch to reduce the user and wherein thesuggestions include opening the sheddable load switch to reduce thepower drawn by the household to achieve requested changes to the currentlevel output.

In some embodiments, the suggestions made by the power budget controllermay include reducing a charging intensity of another electric vehicle toachieve requested changes to the current level output.

In one embodiment, the suggestions made by the power budget controllerinclude reducing a household load by switching certain electricconsuming apparatus to achieve requested changes to the current leveloutput.

In some embodiments, the suggestions made by the power budget controllerinclude using a battery to achieve requested changes to the currentlevel output. In one embodiment the battery may be the battery ofanother electrical vehicle.

In some embodiments, the greatest probable increase may be determinedbased on long-term observation data regarding consumption patterns.

In some embodiments, the power predictor may predict a more aggressiveamount for the greatest probable increase until it gathers enough dataon consumption patterns available.

In some embodiments, the power conversion apparatus may further includea display showing EV charge rate, mains power drawn and power limit.

In some embodiments, the power conversion apparatus may further includeshowing the value of the greatest probable jump in power drawn at theelectrical entry.

In some embodiments, the power conversion apparatus may further includefurther comprising showing power received from a local generationsource, e.g. solar, wind, micro-hydro or internal combustion enginegenerator.

In some embodiments, the power conversion apparatus may further includeinverter and rectifier in the power converter and user input option todraw DC power from one EV to fast charge another EV.

In one embodiment, the suggestion made by the power budget controller isfor a user to turn off a household load, and the user interface receivesinput to confirm switching off and power budget controller confirms theswitching off through rapid reduction in the power drawn as measured bythe electrical entry power sensor prior to increasing a charging rate ofthe EV.

In some embodiments, the user interface of the power conversion userinterface includes a display on a wall-mounted unit associated withapparatus.

In some embodiments, user interface comprises a web browser or appinterface in network or wireless communication with the power budgetcontroller.

In some embodiments, the power converter supply of the power conversionapparatus may include at least one conversion module. The conversionmodule comprises at least one high-voltage capacitor for storing powerat a high voltage and a circuit. The circuit itself comprises at leastone inductor connected in series with the AC port, a low-voltagecapacitor, two diodes or high-voltage switches connected between a firstAC input terminal and opposed ends of the high-voltage capacitor; andtwo intermediate low-voltage switches connected between the opposed endof the high-voltage capacitor and opposed ends of the low-voltagecapacitor, and two terminal low-voltage switches connected between theopposed ends of the low-voltage capacitor and a second AC terminalwherein a DC load can be connected to the opposed ends of thehigh-voltage capacitor; and a controller having at least one sensor forsensing current and/or voltage in the circuit and connected to a gateinput of the two intermediate low-voltage switches and the two terminallow-voltage power switches.

In some embodiments the controller of the conversion module may beoperative for causing the circuit to operate in a boost mode wherein avoltage of the high-voltage capacitor is higher than a peak voltage ofthe AC input, and the two intermediate low-voltage power switches andthe two terminal low-voltage power switches are switched with redundantswitching states in response to a measurement of a voltage present atthe low-voltage capacitor so as to maintain the low-voltage capacitor ata predetermined fraction of a desired voltage for the high-voltagecapacitor and to thus maintain the high-voltage capacitor at a desiredhigh voltage, with the rectifier circuit supplying the DC load andabsorbing power as a five-level active rectifier with low harmonics onthe AC input.

In one embodiment the conversion apparatus comprises a chassis housing aplurality of conversion modules sockets or connectors each of themodules comprising the circuit, the modules working in parallel toprovide DC power to the load.

In some embodiments, the circuit may be a bidirectionalrectifier/inverter circuit comprising an inductor connected in serieswith an AC port, a low-voltage capacitor, two high-voltage powerswitches connected between a first AC terminal and opposed ends of thehigh-voltage capacitor, two intermediate low-voltage power switchesconnected between the opposed end of the high-voltage capacitor andopposed ends of the low-voltage capacitor, and two terminal low-voltagepower switches connected between the opposed ends of the low-voltagecapacitor and a second AC terminal;, wherein a DC port can be connectedto the opposed ends of the high-voltage capacitor; the controller is afirst controller for a rectifier mode having at least one sensor forsensing current and/or voltage in the bidirectional rectifier/inverterand connected to a gate input of the two high-voltage power switches,the two intermediate low-voltage power switches and the two terminallow-voltage power switches for causing the rectifier circuit to operatein a boost mode wherein a voltage of the high-voltage capacitor ishigher than a peak voltage of the AC input, and the two high-voltagepower switches are controlled to switch on and off at a frequency of theAC input, and the two intermediate low-voltage power switches and thetwo terminal low-voltage power switches are switched with redundantswitching states in response to a measurement of a voltage present atthe low-voltage capacitor so as to maintain the low-voltage capacitor ata predetermined fraction of a desired voltage for the high-voltagecapacitor and to thus maintain the high-voltage capacitor at a desiredhigh voltage, with the rectifier circuit supplying the DC load andabsorbing power as a five-level active rectifier with low harmonics onthe AC input; and the power converter further comprises a secondcontroller for an inverter mode connected to the two high-voltage powerswitches, the two intermediate low-voltage power switches and the twoterminal low-voltage power switches and configured to generate and applyto the two high-voltage power switches, the two intermediate low-voltagepower switches and the two terminal low-voltage power switches signalwaveforms comprising a first control signal for causing the low-voltagecapacitor to be series connected with the DC port and the AC port andcharged to a predetermined value proportional to a Voltage of the DCport, and a second control signal for causing the low-voltage capacitorto be disconnected from the DC port and series connected with the ACport, thereby causing the low-voltage capacitor to be discharged.

In some embodiments, the converter may include a processor, and anon-transitory computer-readable medium containing instructions that,when executed by said at least one processor, cause said at least oneprocessor to perform measuring power drawn by an electrical entry of ahousehold, determining a value of a greatest probable jump in powerdrawn using the measured power drawn, managing power allocation torestrict a current level output by said power converter so as to preventpower drawn by the electrical entry from exceeding a predefined limitshould the greatest probable jump in power drawn occur, in response toreceiving a request from a user to change to the current level output bythe power converter, providing suggestions to the user to adjust saidpower drawn, receiving confirmation from the user regarding theadjustment, reallocating said power allocation according to said user'srequest.

In one broad aspect, the present disclosure provides a method formanaging power consumption of a household having a power converter. Themethod comprises measuring power drawn by an electrical entry of ahousehold, determining a value of a greatest probable jump in powerdrawn using the measured power drawn, managing power allocation torestrict a current level output by said power converter so as to preventpower drawn by the electrical entry from exceeding a predefined limitshould the greatest probable jump in power drawn occur, in response toreceiving a request from a user to change to the current level output bythe power converter, providing suggestions to said user to adjust thepower drawn, receiving confirmation from the user regarding theadjustment, reallocating said power allocation according to said user'srequest.

In some examples, the receiving confirmation from said user regardingthe adjustment may comprise receiving user instructions regarding saidsuggestions, implementing said suggestions based on said userinstructions.

In one embodiment, the providing suggestions to adjust the power drawnincludes providing suggestions to adjust the power allocation for saidconverter. In other embodiments the suggestion may comprise providingsuggestions to adjust power consumption of one or more other houseloads.

In some examples of the present method the adjusting of the powerallocation to reduce charger intensity of a first EV connected to saidconverter in order to increase charging intensity of a second EVconnected to said converter.

In another broad aspect, the present disclosure provides a powerconversion apparatus comprising an AC port, at least one DC port, apower converter, an electrical entry power sensor for measuring powerdrawn by an electrical entry of a household, and a processor with amemory having instructions that, when executed by the processor, predictpower drawn increase by receiving a value of the power drawn andproviding a value of a greatest probable jump in power drawn at theelectrical entry; manage power allocation to restrict the current leveloutput by the power converter so as to prevent power drawn by theelectrical entry from exceeding a predefined limit should the greatestprobable jump in power drawn occur; receive a user input to requestchanges to the current level output by the power converter; suggest tothe user to adjust the power drawn and have the user confirm the changesin order to reallocate the allocation according to the user'sadjustments.

In some examples of the method, in order to determine the value of thegreatest probable jump in power drawn, the previously collected data onthe total power consumption of the electrical entry may be also used. Insome examples, this may include using different artificial intelligenceor machine learning algorithms to predict the highest probable jump inthe consumption.

In one example the method may further comprise adjusting said powerallocation based on power received from a local power source.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The present examples will be better understood with reference to theappended illustrations which are as follows:

FIG. 1A is a schematic illustration of the physical installation of ahome EV charging system including a pole-top transformer, residentialelectrical entry with a load sensor and a main circuit breaker panel, a240 V AC power line between the panel and an apparatus, two cableconnection extending between the apparatus and an electric vehicle (EV)with CAN bus connection between the EV and the apparatus and a solarpanel connection;

FIG. 1 .B is a block diagram showing a power budget controller inaccordance with one embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 2A shows a circuit diagram of a conversion circuit with a 5-leveltopology circuit working in a rectifier mode, according to a particularexample of implementation;

FIG. 2B shows a circuit diagram of a battery apparatus converter with a5-level topology circuit working in an inverter mode, in accordance withone embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 3 illustrates a block diagram of the apparatus in accordance withone embodiment of the present disclosure wherein the apparatus allocatesthe power budget to charge one electric vehicle.

FIG. 4 illustrates a block diagram of the apparatus in accordance withone embodiment of the present disclosure wherein the apparatus allocatesthe power budget to distribute power between household and two electricvehicles.

FIG. 5 shows a flowchart of the steps taken in accordance with oneembodiment of the present disclosure to adjust the power allocationbetween multiple loads to comply with a user request.

FIG. 6 illustrates an example of the apparatus capable of charging twoelectric vehicles having an interface with a display in accordance toone embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 7 shows a screenshot of the interface of the converter showingmultiple options, main menu, of available on the interface in accordancewith one embodiment.

FIG. 8 shows a screen shot of the interface illustrating EV consumptionpatterns for 2 EV vehicles in accordance with one embodiment.

FIG. 9 shows a screenshot of the interface of the converter illustratingCO2 emission patterns and financial savings for EV users the converter,in accordance with one embodiment.

FIG. 10 shows a screenshot of the interface of the converterillustrating weather conditions, solar panels efficiency and EV chargingstatus in accordance with one embodiment.

FIG. 11 shows a screenshot of the interface of the converterillustrating energy sources and distribution including charging modesfor two different EVs in accordance to one embodiment.

FIG. 12 shows a screenshot of the interface of the converterillustrating a social networking page for users with similar systemsincluding Ecopoints for each user and their ranking.

FIG. 13A shows a screenshot of the interface of the converter showingtotal energy consumption of the household.

FIG. 13B shows screenshot of the interface of the converter havinginformation on the charging progress and the EV range.

FIG. 14 shows a screenshot of the interface of the converterillustrating Ecopoints and neighborhood ranking of the user inaccordance with one embodiment.

FIG. 15 shows a screenshot of the interface of the converterillustrating customer support options for the converter.

FIG. 16 shows a screenshot of the interface of the converterillustrating a summary of solar panel information, EV charger'sinformation, and climate in accordance with one embodiment.

DESCRIPTION

Reference throughout this specification to “one embodiment,” “anembodiment,” or similar language means that a particular feature,structure, or characteristic described in connection with the embodimentis included in at least one embodiment of the present invention. Thus,appearances of the phrases “in one embodiment,” “in an embodiment,” andsimilar language throughout this specification may, but do notnecessarily, all refer to the same embodiment.

Moreover, the described features, structures, or characteristics of theinvention may be combined in any suitable manner in one or moreembodiments. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art thatvarious modifications and variations can be made to the presentinvention without departing from the scope of the invention. Thus, it isintended that the present invention cover the modifications andvariations of this invention provided they come within the scope of theappended claims and their equivalents. Reference will now be made indetail to the preferred embodiments of the invention.

Throughout this application, the term “EV Level 2 apparatus” refers to asingle-phase AC EV apparatus and the term “EV Level 3 apparatus ” refersto a DC EV apparatus.

FIG. 1 .A illustrates the physical context of an embodiment in whichsplit single phase main power is delivered from a utility pole toptransformer, as is the most common type of electrical power delivery inNorth America. The transformer receives typically 14.4 kV or 25 kVsingle-phase power from a distribution line and the transformer canhandle approximately 50 kVA to 167 kVA of power delivered as split phase240 VAC to a small number of homes or electrical entries. Eachelectrical entry is typically configured to handle between 100 A to 200A of power at 240 VAC, namely about 24 kVA to 48 kVA (the commonassumption is that 1 kVA is equivalent to 1 kW). As shown, theconversion apparatus or device connects to the network via the ACconnection and can connect to multiple vehicles and/or solar panel. Thiscould be achieved thanks to bidirectional (rectifier/inverter) nature ofthe apparatus which provides it by the capability of receiving AC or DCpower from one port and providing AC or DC from other ports.

The electrical entry typically comprises a usage meter, the main breakerhaving a rating corresponding to the total permitted load (e.g. 100 A or200 A), and a panel having circuit breakers for each household circuitwhich may be supplied with 240 VAC power or 120 VAC power from the splitphase 240 VAC input. While most circuit breakers have capacities ofbetween 15 A to 30 A, some can be lower (namely 10 A) and some may belarger, such as 40 A, for large appliances. In some countries,electrical entries have a lower capacity, such as 40 A to 60 A, and incountries with 240 VAC in all household circuits, the power is not asplit phase, but regular single phase 240 VAC (the voltage level usedcan vary from about 100 V to 250 V).

It will be appreciated that embodiments are not restricted to splitsingle phase 240 VAC power systems and that the embodiments disclosedherein can be adapted to the power networks in use that are single orthree phases of any existing AC voltage delivered to the electricalentry of homes or businesses.

As illustrated in FIG. 1 .A, the conversion apparatus is connected to acircuit breaker of the main panel through a breaker having a largercurrent rating, such as 40 A to 80 A, although the apparatus disclosedcan consume over 100 A if desired. The need for a circuit breakerspecific to the apparatus is determined by electrical codes. The cableconnecting the apparatus to the panel is rated for such high current.The connection to the electrical panel can be a direct fixed wiring, ora high-voltage socket can be installed and connected to the electricalpanel such that the apparatus connects to the panel using a cable andplug, for example, those that are similar to those used for applianceslike ovens or clothes dryers. The apparatus is shown to be connected toa single load sensor that senses the load drawn by the whole panelincluding the apparatus. The apparatus cable can be a conventionalapparatus cable and plug, as is known in the art.

In some embodiments, the converter may be a modular multi-level circuitbenefiting from modular converter circuits uni- or bi-directional. Inone embodiment, the converter circuit or modules may be multilevelconverter topology including three, five or seven level topologies. Thedetails of a 5-level Packed U-Cell (PUC 5) which may be used with thedifferent embodiments of the present disclosure has been disclosed bythe applicant in the international PCT patent application having serialnumber PCT/CA2018/051291 with the publication number WO/2019/071359.

As mentioned, the converter may feature the 5-level Packed U-Celltopology working in a rectifier mode providing an active rectifier withpower factor correction. The apparatus has several noteworthy advantagesover other types of converters and features a boost mode operation whichallows supra-AC peak output while reducing or eliminating input sidecurrent harmonics.

As shown in FIG. 2A, the conversion circuit 100 working in the rectifiermode comprises an AC input 105, an inductive filter 110 connected inseries with the AC input 105, and a 5-level topology circuit 115.

The inductive filter 110 in this non-limiting example is a 2.5 mHinductor. For a typical 1 to 3 kW range of power to be delivered (duringall charging states of full power to under-power), a 1 mH line inductorprovided good results which complied with existing standards. For higherpower ranges, the inductance may be reduced; for example, for highwattage (e.g. greater than 2 kW, and preferably greater than 3 kW, andmore preferably approximately 5 kW) power rating, the inductive filter110 may instead use a 500 μH inductor. Conveniently the present designallows for a small geometry of the overall power conversion circuit 100,due in part to the small size of the inductive filter 110. The inductivefilter 110 can vary according to design as chosen based on theapplication, power rating, utility voltage harmonics, switchingfrequency, etc. Although the simplest such filter is a single inductor,in an alternative embodiment the inductive filter 110 may include acombination of inductor(s) and capacitor(s), e.g., an (e.g., 2 mH)inductor connected to a capacitor (e.g., 30 μF), itself connected toground. The choice of the filter has an impact on the overall size ofthe design and losses, with a bigger filter increasing the size of theoverall design and generally incurring more losses.

The 5-level circuit comprises a high-voltage capacitor 120, at least onelow-voltage capacitor 125, two high-voltage power switches 130 a, 130 bconnected between a first terminal 135 and respective opposed ends 145a, 145 b of the high-voltage capacitor 120, two intermediate low-voltagepower switches 140 a, 140 b, each connected between respective ones ofthe two opposed ends 145 a, 145 b of the high-voltage capacitor 120 andrespective opposed ends 155 a, 155 b of the low-voltage capacitor 125,and two terminal low-voltage power switches 150 a, 150 b each connectedbetween a second input terminal 160 and respective ones of the opposedends 155 a, 155 b of the low-voltage capacitor 125.

Referring to FIG. 2B, there is illustrated a topology 100 for the5-level power converter working in the inverter mode, in accordance withone embodiment. An AC load 202 is connected across the first terminal135 and the second terminal 160, which correspond to the only nodes inthe circuit where only Switching elements are connected. The voltageproduced between the first terminal 135 and the second terminal 160 isthe inverters output voltage (V), which is illustratively a five-levelPulse Width Modulation (PWM) waveform.

The details of how the PUC 5 circuit functions in the rectifier andinverter switching as well as details on the switching states of the PUC5 has been disclosed by the applicant in the international PCT patentapplication having serial number PCT/CA2018/051291 with the publicationnumber WO/2019/071359.

In some embodiments the present disclosure provides a power managementsystem for allowing implementation of a user's request. In FIG. 1 .B,illustrates a block diagram showing a power budget controller workingwith a charger.

A logging module 1904 stores in a memory at least one parameter derivedfrom the current drawn as measured by a sensor 1102, less any powerdrawn by the rectifier circuit over time for various sub-periods withineach day. This parameter can be the greatest probable increase innon-charging loads for the present time period and the presentnon-charging load. Jumps in load can be derived from one or moreappliances turning on. AC motors, such as heat pump and air conditioningcompressor motors, typically draw at least twice their steady-statecurrent when starting. As can be appreciated, the probability of anincrease in power drawn can be within a desired likelihood, such aswithin 97% probability.

An available power predictor calculator 1108 receives the current drawnvalue, and the logging module parameter and provides a maximum chargeload value to power budget controller 1906 as a function of apredetermined electrical entry maximum power load. The maximum loadvalue for the electrical entry can be set using a user interface.

The power budget controller 1906 receives the maximum charge load valueand, from the battery management interface, the desired charge voltagevalue and desired charge current value and provides the control input tothe rectifier circuit.

In one embodiment, the greatest probable increase is determined based onlong-term observation data. Until such data is acquired, the availablepower predictor may behave more conservatively, and as the certaintyincreases about the prediction, the predictor calculator can be moreaggressive.

In another embodiment, the variations in power consumption are analyzedto determine the number and sizes of the main household loads. Abehavior pattern for these loads is then detected. Loads that areestimated to be on, can only be turned off, and so they do notcontribute to a risk of increasing the total load. The probability thata load will turn on is based on the state of other loads, time of dayand time of year. For example, if a water heater is off, there can be ahigher likelihood that it will turn on at any given moment from 7 AM to8 AM due to water usage than from 11 PM to 6 AM. In summer, electricheating loads are unlikely to turn on, while AC is more likely, and theopposite may hold true in winter. Based on behavior patterns and thecurrent estimate of what loads are on, the available power predictor canpredict the greatest probable immediate increase in power.

The power budget controller 1906 considers the risk of the greatestprobable increase in power to determine what power is available to thecharger for consumption, and the power budget controller causes therectifier circuit and/or the DC-DC down converter to adjust DC powerdelivered to the EV when the requested power would be too great.

Furthermore, the power budget controller 1906 can consider batterydegradation when setting the charging rate. This can involve referencinga predetermined maximum charge current or power value. As describedbelow, a user-selected charge aggressivity level can also be referenced.

In one embodiment, when the available power predictor module 1108forecast that an increase in power is probable that could risk exceedingthe power budget (entry limit), an optional sheddable load switch 1922can be used to prevent a significant load from drawing power that canresult in exceeding the power budget. This can delay or shift the addedload to avoid exceeding the power budget of the electric entry. Thesheddable load switch can include a line voltage power switch connectedbetween one or more electrical loads and the electrical panel, forexample, a water heater, to prevent the load from drawing current fromthe electrical panel with the risk that such additional load couldexceed the power budget. Preferably, the load switch includes a sensor,for example, a current sensor, to measure whether the load is currentlydrawing power. In this way, the power budget controller can detect ifthe load in question is drawing power. The sheddable load switch, whenopen, can be equipped with sensors to detect when the disconnected loadis looking to draw power, and in this case, the power budget controllercan then decide to reconnect the load after reducing DC charging poweraccordingly.

Some loads that draw high current include control electronics that drawa small load in a standby state, for example, less than about 100 watts.In this case, it is possible to include bypass low power AC to thesheddable load while the sheddable load switch is open. An example of alow-power AC bypass connection is an isolation transformer configured toprovide about ten to several tens of watts of power for the electronicsof the sheddable load. When the load switches on, the sheddable loadswitch module can detect the draw of power on the load side of theisolation transformer and then signal the power budget controller todecide whether to reduce DC charge power to allow the sheddable load tobe reconnected to full AC power, or whether DC charging at the same rateshould continue. When DC charging load demand is over and then permits,the sheddable load can be reconnected.

In some embodiments, after system sets up all the limitations to avoidgoing over the budget, a user may still submit a request for a changethis setting. For example, the user may request to have the EV vehiclebe charged faster than what was allowed by the system. In suchscenarios, the system may use the power drawn increase prediction module1108 and the data available in logging module to make suggestions to theuser to reduce the household load and create possibility of charging thevehicle with a higher charging aggressivity.

In one example, the system may use different sensors for different loadsor use a smart home system to recognize different loads and send therequired suggestions accordingly.

In some embodiments, the user may need to implement the changes andconfirm with the converter that the changes have been implemented beforethe system changes the converters power allowance budget in accordancewith the user's request.

In embodiments and for some of the suggestions, the system may be ableto implement the changes upon on receiving the confirmation from theuser. For example, if two EVs are charging simultaneously and the userwants to increase the charging intensity of one of them, the convertermay suggest reducing the charging intensity of the other EV and uponuser's confirmation implement such change. In another example, the loadmay be a household appliance like a dryer working with a smart homesystem. Upon receiving the confirmation, the converter may communicatewith the smart home system to turn off that specific load to increasethe charging intensity.

In one example, the converter may communicate independently with certainelectrical appliances or as explained before have a sheddable loadswitch to reduce the household load and cope with a user suggestion.

It would be appreciated by those skilled in the art that the modules maybe instructions saved on one or more non-transitory computer-readablemediums and may be performed by one or more processors. This may includea computer device connected to the converter circuit or located in aremote location, such as in cloud technology, controlling the converter.

The embodiment in FIG. 3 may include a charging power program modulethat responds to user input to curb the charge rate when the user is notin a rush to charge the EV. While EV's can permit fast charging, andembodiments disclosed herein can allow for charging with powers of about25 kVA, battery life can be reduced by repeated fast charging.Additionally, the charging power program module may be used to select atime program for charging, namely to delay and/or otherwise tailor powerconsumption in accordance with time-variable energy costs and/or theavailability of power within the distribution network. The chargingconnector can, for example, provide a user interface for selecting acharge aggressivity level, namely a variable level of charge rate whenthe battery requests high rate charging. Alternatively, a networkinterface can be provided to allow a remote user interface to be used toset charging power program parameters.

In one embodiment, the user may request the energy management system ofthe converter to minimize the electrical expense of the household.Again, the system may make specific suggestions and ask for the user'sconfirmation to implement them.

For example, the energy management system may recognize that theelectricity tariff is higher at certain times and in order to reduce theenergy bill make suggestions to the user to reduce some loads during theenergy tariff peak hours. In some other examples, the system may suggestusing a local energy source like a backup battery or EV battery forhousehold energy use during the peak hours. This way a backup battery oran EV battery is charged during the times that the energy tariff is lowand may be used during peak hours to reduce the energy expense of thehousehold or even help the network during the peak hours of energyconsumption.

The network interface 1902 can be a conventional data interface, such asethernet, Wi-Fi, etc., associated with a computer. The logging module1904, power budget controller 1906, available power predictor 1908 andthe charging power program module 1910 can be implemented in softwarestored in the memory of the computer and executed by a processor of thecomputer to perform the operations as described below.

FIG. 3 shows an embodiment of the apparatus 1100 having a sensor 1102connected to the electrical entry. The power drawn prediction module1108 receives the information regarding the energy consumption patternsand, in one embodiment, may store this information for predicting themaximum power drawn. The power budget module 1106 receives theprediction as well as the total load from sensor 1102 and theinformation from power converter 1104 and manages the power budget forcharging an electric vehicle.

When a user request fast charging of the vehicle, for example bytouching on the interface screen shown in FIG. 11 at the “FAST/ECO”charging symbol, if enough power is not available, the system mayprovide suggestions as to how the EV charging budget can be increased.This may include disconnecting some sheddable load using the sheddableload switch 1922 or alternatively asking the user to switch off certaindevices having specific load. The system may recognize this switchingoff using the sensors or may ask the user to confirm it.

In one embodiment, the apparatus can connect to electric devices andcontrol them remotely as to reduce the load. This may be done by userconfirmation or set up to be done completely automatically.

FIG. 4 shows a scenario in which the apparatus 1100 manages charging ofthe two electric vehicles. In this scenario the power budget controller1106 has to manage the charging budget of two vehicles. When a userrequests fast or boost charging of a vehicle in addition to optionsmentioned above, the system may reduce the charging rate of the other EVor even use the other EV's battery to fast charge the battery of EV forwhich fast charge has been requested. An example of device 1100 forcharging two vehicles has been shown in FIG. 6 .

Referring to FIG. 5 shows an example the steps taken by the presentdisclosure to manage the power allocation of the steps taken by theconverter's management system to make sure that the power drawn from theelectrical entry does not exceed the predetermined limit. At least onesensor may be used to measure power drawn by at the entry for examplethe household. This data may be collected in a historic data collectionor logging module. This data may include a number of other sensorsmeasuring power consumption at different sections of the household oreven per each electrical appliance or device. In one example the datamay be fetched from a smart home system having necessary sensors inplace to provide the required data. In another example, the convertermay work as the smart hub and manage different appliances and directlyinteract with them and measure their consumption and other requiredinformation such as time of use, frequency of use based on temperatureand specific seasonal features, consumption patterns based on day of theweek, month and season as well as the weather forecast. Furthermore, auser may add or remove specific events that may cause an increase ordecrease in consumption into the logging module or historic datacollector. Some specific events may include, times when house is emptyor a specific event would happen or periods in which the EV(s) may needto be fully charged such as in the morning during work days.

This way the value of the greatest probable jump in the power drawnwould be calculated. Using this data and the current power drawn theconverter allocates the amount of power it may provide to differentdevices such as EV(s), backup battery or any other load. This amount maybe adjusted by the amount of energy received from a source for examplesolar panels, a local power generator or a backup battery.

If a user request changes to this power allocation, the converter powermanager may provide the user with different suggestions and may ask theuser the confirm the suggestion. This may include asking the user toimplement the changes and confirm their implementation or asking forpermission to implement the changes. If in the other hand the user doesnot confirm the changes the converter may make different suggestions butwould continue working in the same manner until a confirmation isreceived.

In some embodiments, the converter may ask the user for permission toimplement the same suggestions in similar situations. In anotherembodiment, the user may use an interface to prioritize options andtherefore, change the order of the suggestions and or set up the systemto accept certain suggestions automatically.

In one embodiment, the system may learn from the accepted suggestionsand modify the order of the changes based on the prior user confirmationpatterns. In some examples, the system may use machine learning and AIalgorithms known in the art to modify these suggestions.

FIGS. 7 to 16 show the interface and how the system can be managed andobserved by a user using a mobile app, computer or any other end deviceeven remotely.

As shown in FIG. 7 , system may provide information regarding solarpanels, EV batteries or other batteries connected to the system (backupbattery), the household consumption, etc. and allow a user manage themaccordingly.

In FIG. 8 , the system provides the user with information regarding thecharging of one or more EVs, electricity consumption and other necessaryinformation.

FIG. 9 shows the information provided to a user regarding the carbonemission of the energy consumed and the money saved by the user. As inFIG. 10 , the interface may further provide weather forecast informationand use them in managing power allowance. For example, a warmer day mayindicate use of AC by the user or a cloudy day may indicate low energyproduction by the solar panels.

FIG. 11 shows the interface, here as a mobile app, with the allocationof energy received and consumed

In some embodiments, the display in FIG. 11 may show one or more of thestorage capacity of each EV, the percentage of charge of each EV, thecharging schedule for each EV, e.g., ECO, FAST, or optionally differentlevels of FAST charging, whether DC power is being drawn from an EV togive more power budget for charging another EV, power contributions fromsources other than the power grid, e.g., solar, storage battery, wind,etc. the total power budget, namely in the case of only grid power themain electric entry breaker value, the greatest probable jump in powerdrawn at the electrical entry from household loads, information aboutloads that have been shed to give more EV charging capacity, etc.Furthermore, upon request a change in for example charging intensity ofan EV vehicle, a suggestion may be shown on the display which may beimplemented after confirmation of the user or implemented by the userand confirmed on the screen.

Referring to FIG. 12 a screenshot of the interface of the converterillustrating a social networking page for users with similar systemsincluding Ecopoints for each user and their ranking. As illustrated, theusers in the neighborhood or community may have their own profile andmay exchange data including their energy consumption patterns. This mayinclude neighbors arranging their energy consumption to avoid anyproblem with the distribution network. Also, it may allow the members touse including buy or sell their energy among each other depending ontheir needs.

FIG. 13A the interface of the converter showing total energy consumptionof the household. FIG. 13B show screen shot of the interface of theconverter having information on the charging progress and the EV range.FIG. 14 shows the interface of the converter illustrating Ecopoints andneighborhood ranking of the user in accordance with one embodiment. FIG.15 shows a screenshot of the interface of the converter illustratingcustomer support options for the converter. FIG. 16 shows a screenshotof the interface of the converter illustrating a summary of solar panelinformation, EV charger's information, and climate in accordance withone embodiment.

In one embodiment, the apparatus may have a calibration mode in which itmay learn how each electric device may affect the total household load.It may ask a user to turn the devices in the house on and off to measureand register its effect on total load and later make suggestionsaccordingly. It may also have sensors at different parts of the house tomeasure consumption and make suggestions accordingly.

As shown in FIG. 6 , the apparatus 1100 may have a screen on it whichenable to have the interface on the apparatus itself.

Although the above description has been provided with reference to aspecific example, this was for the purpose of illustrating, notlimiting, the invention.

What is claimed is:
 1. A power conversion apparatus comprising: an ACport; at least one DC port; a power converter; an electrical entry powersensor for measuring power drawn by an electrical entry of a household;a power drawn increase prediction module having an input for receiving avalue of the power drawn and an output providing a value of a greatestprobable jump in power drawn at the electrical entry; a power budgetcontroller managing power allocation to restrict a current level outputby the power converter so as to prevent power drawn by the electricalentry from exceeding a predefined limit should the greatest probablejump in power drawn occur; a user interface allowing a user to requestchanges to said current level output by the power converter to charge anelectric vehicle; wherein the power budget controller makes suggestionsto said user to adjust said power drawn and has the user confirm saidchanges in order to reallocate said allocation according to said user'sadjustments.
 2. The apparatus in claim 1 said conversion apparatusfurther comprises an optional sheddable load switch to reduce the userand wherein said suggestions include opening said sheddable load switchto reduce the power drawn by the household to achieve requested changesto said current level output.
 3. The apparatus in claim 1, wherein saidsuggestions include reducing a charging intensity of another electricvehicle to achieve requested changes to said current level output. 4.The apparatus in claim 1, wherein said suggestions includes reducing ahousehold load by switching certain electric consuming apparatus toachieve requested changes to said current level output.
 5. The apparatusin claim 1, wherein said suggestions includes using a battery to achieverequested changes to said current level output.
 6. The power conversionunit in claim 1, wherein said battery is the battery of anotherelectrical vehicle.
 7. The apparatus in claim 1, wherein said greatestprobable increase is determined based on long-term observation dataregarding consumption patterns.
 8. The apparatus in claim 1, whereinsaid power predictor may predict a more aggressive amount for saidgreatest probable increase until it gathers enough data on consumptionpatterns available.
 9. The apparatus in claim 1 further comprising adisplay showing EV charge rate, mains power drawn and power limit. 10.The apparatus in claim 1 further comprising showing said value of agreatest probable jump in power drawn at the electrical entry.
 11. Theapparatus in claim 1 further comprising showing power received from alocal generation source, e.g. solar, wind, micro-hydro or internalcombustion engine generator.
 12. The apparatus in claim 1 furthercomprising inverter and rectifier in said power converter and user inputoption to draw DC power from one EV to fast charge another EV.
 13. Theapparatus in claim 1, wherein suggestion is for a user to turn off ahousehold load, and said user interface receives input to confirmswitching off and power budget controller confirms the switching offthrough rapid reduction in said power drawn as measured by saidelectrical entry power sensor prior to increasing a charging rate ofsaid EV.
 14. The apparatus in claim 1, wherein said user interfacecomprises a display on a wall-mounted unit associated with apparatus.15. The apparatus in claim 1, wherein said user interface comprises aweb browser or app interface in network or wireless communication withsaid power budget controller.
 16. A method for managing powerconsumption in an electrical entry using a power converter: measuringpower drawn at the electrical entry to determine a total powerconsumption of a network connected to the electrical entry; determininga value of a greatest probable jump in power drawn using the total powerconsumption at the electrical entry; managing a power allocation of theconverter to restrict a power output by said power converter as toprevent power drawn by the electrical entry from exceeding a predefinedlimit should the greatest probable jump in power drawn occur; inresponse to receiving a request from a user to apply changes to thepower allocation, providing suggestions to said user to adjust saidpower drawn; receiving confirmation from said user regarding theadjustment; reallocating said power allocation based on the requestaccordingly.
 17. The method of claim 16, wherein the receivingconfirmation from said user regarding the adjustment comprises:receiving user instructions regarding said suggestions; and implementingsaid suggestions based on said user instructions.
 18. The method ofclaim 16, wherein the providing suggestions to adjust the power drawncomprises providing suggestions to adjust the power allocation of theconverter.
 19. The method of claim 16, wherein said providingsuggestions to adjust the power drawn comprises providing suggestions toadjust power consumption of one or more loads connected to theelectrical power entry.
 20. The method as defined in claim 16, whereinthe method further comprises: adjusting said power allocation to reducecharge rate of a first EV connected to said converter in order toincrease charge rate of a second EV connected to said converter.
 21. Themethod as defined in claim 16, wherein the method further comprisesadjusting said power allocation based on power received from a localpower source.
 22. The method of claim 16, wherein the determining thevalue of the greatest probable jump in power drawn using the total powerconsumption at the electrical entry further comprises using previouslycollected data on the total power consumption.